


Five times the Doctor heard about the Immortal, and the one time they (almost) met

by TheScarlettShadows



Category: Doctor Who & Related Fandoms, Torchwood
Genre: Five Times, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-04
Updated: 2014-02-04
Packaged: 2018-01-11 04:53:44
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,366
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1168916
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheScarlettShadows/pseuds/TheScarlettShadows
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>As the title says, Five times the Doctor heard about The Immortal, and the one time they (almost) met. Promise the story is better than the summary.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Five times the Doctor heard about the Immortal, and the one time they (almost) met

**Author's Note:**

> Not meant to be slash, but I hope you enjoy. R&R gives you invisible internet cookies!  
> And kudos to you if you notice the extra cameo appearance in the first paragraph.

The first time the Doctor had heard about The Immortal, he had landed on Beltugese Five and was in the enemy prison. This was not unusual. The Zorgon guards had been drinking the spiked alcohol but the intoxication led to them murmuring about the rebels, about the ‘The Immortal’ and his part in leading the refugee camp. The Doctor was about to make his escape, but his insatiable curiosity caused him to stay, just a little longer. There was plenty more alcohol to inebriate them with. Usually he was the folk God, whether this was good or bad he would never know, but he had never been called ‘The Immortal’. And he was sure that he wouldn’t risk coming so close to his own timeline. He continued to listen, and The Immortal he wore a long blue coat and had the most handsome face, with eyes that reflected the night sky with cold and agelessness. The Zorgons were now starting to recite poetry, but the Doctor bore through the pain for several stanzas. He had been forced to recite it before, a mild headache was worth the information. He continued to listen. Apparently, the man was immortal and immune to poison, blade, bullet or violence. He was also a legendary lover, able to charm the most stony-hearted and get any information with a wink. However, the warning klaxons started to sound throughout the facility and he made his escape, pushing the strange information out of his mind.

The next time the Doctor heard about The Immortal, he was going on a tour through a museum, a courtesy visit for saving the planet. There he came across a relief of a tall man with a cleft in his chin and the universe in his gaze. The Doctor stopped, his memory reminding him of bad poetry several centuries ago. His eyes scanned the description underneath, absorbing the information of the pagan God from several centuries ago. He had been immortal, continuously risking and sacrificing his life for the rebels, caring for the children and wooing all the willing, of which there were many. He stayed for a century, waiting for the old generation to die and see that the new were stable before moving on to a different planet. The Doctor felt a sense of shame settling in his gut, that this man would stay while he flew off, too hardened to stay behind, too lonely to enjoy it if he did. Sarah Jane called him from the main statue and he moved ahead, trying to leave the image of the man behind.

Zoe had come back to the TARDIS with her hair flying in all directions and her buttons done up incorrectly. She was breathless and her lips looked bruised, as though from a kiss and not a punch. Her eyes were bright so he had to find out what happened while he was out shopping, and he plied her with disguised questions. Her grin didn’t leave her face as she talked about the tall man with the widest range of skills. She described in detail the long military coat which looked strange but suited him, emphasizing his blue eyes which swept the room and many bodies. The Doctor had a suspicion he knew who she was talking about, but let her continue until a normal human would start to stutter with embarrassment. He sent her away and felt his curiosity grow.

The fourth time was when he was in a huge library. Unfortunately, he wasn’t in The Library, the planet, but it was a library nonetheless. Moving between the stacks of books, he came upon one on a huge pedestal in the center of the room. Presumably this was the one the natives had wanted him to find. It was the Book of Heroes, the heroes who saved their planet. Every time a good deed was done, their name would be written in the book, along with the actions. The Doctor was to find his own page and read it, as he had saved the planet. It was a truly great gift, and he regretted his desire to leave and move on. He opened the book and opened the first page, watching as the ink blurred across the page in-front of his eyes. He quickly scanned over his article blushing at some of the descriptions when it finally came to an end, covering a span of three pages. He went to close the book, when he decided to read about the others. Who else had saved this wonderful world? There were some sweet ones, like helping the elderly across the road and the more dashing stories of the younger generation sending world-changing letters. His smile grew with his admiration of the species. Then he came across a small watercolour in one corner of a section about ‘Omega Immortal Alpha’. He took in a shocked gasp, then quickly scanned the writing. He had saved the world from exploding and had won many hearts. Unfortunately, he had been taken off world by aliens and they did not know his current whereabouts. His name became legend, but he was written down, so he was true. The Doctor finished reading, then closed the book heavily. Was The Immortal stalking him? Reflecting back on the peculiar choice of name, he realised that it was from Original Earth, and had not been passed on to any other cultures. Omega Alpha was a product of the peculiar humans. So The Immortal was from Earth. 

The last time he heard about ‘The Immortal’, he had stopped off at one of his favourite bars. He had parked the TARDIS in the park and was highly bemused to see various people running out from the bar and scurrying to the preferred modes of transport. Being the curious and intelligent man that he was, he made his way inside, peering at the remaining inhabitants. There was a group of men sitting around a ruined bar, whispering in hushed tones between themselves. They went quiet the moment they noticed him, but the bartender vouched in his favour and motioned for them to continue. They started off hesitantly, skirting around the fight, but soon they were competing to see who had the better story of the man in the long coat who couldn’t die. They moaned and complained, shouting that it wasn’t fair for this con-man to be better and luckier than them. For a con-man he was, with a devilish smile and stories hidden in his coat. The Doctor knew more, of course, but let them continue. He heard about his conquests, and the many people he had tricked. He was an intimidating figure, when he asked for something, he got it. It was either the edge of ice in his eyes or the power that seemed to radiate off him. However, some of them hadn’t realised how he was until he had stripped them of their belongings. He hustled pool and played poker better than the crew of criminals they had hiding on this planet. His roguish charm meant that he never had to sleep the night alone, though there were whispers that he cried a male name out when an anthropological type person had blue eyes and wore a suit. The Doctor listened and he learned about the dangerous side of Immortal, his ability to fight, command, shoot and order. Then, the Doctor made the firm resolution to not cross paths with this beast. His curiosity was interested, but the man had only defended, so he was not a problem of the Doctor.

The one time they almost met was when he was running away. The Doctor was scared. Scared of the man that he created. He had heard the stories of what he became, and the Doctor was part of that. Scared of saying that he was a coward. Scared of facing up to the sense of wrongness. Because it became clear, once he felt Jack’s life force come back. Who the man with the charm and the coat was. His timeline stretching on longer than his own. The Doctor had help create the man that worlds would fear or revere, Jack ‘The Immortal’ Harkness.


End file.
